Language Studies

Aramaic Thoughts

Resources available for the study of the Aramaic - Part 7

The eighth type of Semitism that Carmignac identifies in the gospels he calls "Semitisms of Transmission." The idea here is as follows: the gospels, except for Luke, were written originally in Hebrew. They were later translated into Greek, and those are the gospel texts we currently have. However, the Greek versions were not translated from the original copies written out by the gospel writers, but from later copies. These later copies were not identical to the originals, but, due to copyists’ errors, differed in some respects from the originals. These errors then show their effects in the Greek translations of the gospels.

As an example, Carmignac offers John the Baptist’s statement that he is not worthy to loose the strap of Jesus’ sandals (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:7; Luke 3:16). In Matthew 3:11 John says, "I am not worthy to carry his sandals." According to Mark 1:7 John says, "I am not worthy to bend down in order to loose (or: untie) the strap of his sandals." According to Luke 3:16, John says, "I am not worthy to loose (or: untie) the strap of his sandals." Carmignac proposes that lusai (to loose—found in Mark and Luke) is a translation of the Hebrew lashelet, while bastasai (to carry—found in Matthew) is a translation of the Hebrew lash’et. His assumption appears to be (because he does not spell it out) that the copy from which Matthew was translated was corrupted from the original, having lost the lamed (the letter "l"), which had gotten replaced by an alef. His specific claim is that "to carry" is "certainly less natural" (p. 31) than "to loosen." Whether it is "less natural" or not is difficult to determine. Who is to say which is more natural? While his suggestion is certainly interesting, it doesn’t prove anything except that it is possible.

What his suggestion does ignore, however, is the realities of the historical context. John had been preaching for several months prior to Jesus’ public appearance at his baptism by John. One of the consistent elements of John’s preaching seems to have been to point his hearers to the one who was coming. Thus, on any number of occasions John would have spoken about the one to come, and his own relationship to the coming one. This speech consisted of two parts: first, that the coming one was to be mightier than John; and second, that he, John, was not worthy to be the servant of the coming one. As John preached, he no doubt expressed these two points in a variety of ways. Thus the gospel writers, in their quoting of John, are simply summarizing the main elements of his statements. This accounts for the variation in the statements. Note that Carmignac gives the impression that the statements found in Mark and Luke are identical, against Matthew. As the citations I have given make clear, all three versions differ from one another in at least one detail, but again they are merely summarizing John’s statements. It is possible, for example, that Matthew actually heard John preaching, and he gives a direct quote that stuck with him. Mark would have been giving Peter’s statement, which Peter might have heard on another occasion, or perhaps even second-hand. Luke is expressly giving statements that he has received from the testimony of others. None of this can demonstrate a Hebrew original for the gospels, nor can the combined weight of Carmignac’s examples provide such a demonstration. I would remind the reader once again that John’s preaching was probably in Aramaic. Thus the possibilities of what Hebrew might have said are really beside the point.

Next week I will deal with one more aspect of Carmignac’s work, than give one or two columns to summarizing the result and their significance for gospel origins.

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